


Devil Buster archives: Adventures of DB Sonya

by megablazikens



Category: Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6709762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megablazikens/pseuds/megablazikens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life as Devil Buster is an interesting thing. Sometimes full of wonder, excitement, and curiosity. But most of all, it's a dangerous life. These are the adventures of one such Devil Buster trying to help with the revival of Tokyo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A day in the life

The noise is unbearable.

Gears and pulleys grind incessantly against each other, filling the chamber with aggravating screeches. As the mechanisms shifted, the chamber would descend further into the dark abyss below. Closer and closer to a destination obscured by surrounding darkness. Every movement down shook the metal cage-like chamber, almost threatening to go into a free-fall if it were not for the ropes and gears that held it in place. The noise and the erratic movements would be too much for anyone who decided to step into the chamber in the first place. Then again, not just anyone would even think about it in the first place.

Sonya was feeling uneasy at the thought of it all.

The elevator paused for a short time as shadowy figures appeared within the chamber, scattering around where they could. The shadows took form and demons appeared in their place. Claws extended and teeth barred as they threw themselves towards four humans standing at one side of the elevator. 

“You better hee-urry before they getcha, ho! You Devil Busters are almho-st there, let me see what you got!”

A Black Frost standing behind the humans cheered while they drew their weapons and COMPS out. 

“Summon, Tam Lin!”

“Summon, Tokisada!”

“Summon, Trumpeter!”

“Summon, Mothman!”

One by one their demon companions appeared at their side, rushing to meet their foes as their summoners ran behind them. Tam Lin and Faldeo ran in first, slashing through each demon they faced before they could fall back; one by one they fell and eroded away into shadowy wisps of light. Sai and Trumpeter caught several demons by surprise, casting a strange, green light that paralyzed them all. Tam Lin's spear cut through the incapacitated demons with ease. Though as they cleared the space of the demon horde, another one materialized soon after. Trumpeter and Tam Lin lunged forth again, only to be caged in by a small group of demons, separating them from their summoners.

“Damn! I need help!” Tam Lin yelled.

Just then, a strong gust cut through the demons. Mothman quickly closed the gap between his allies and enemies and began beating his powerful wings. Blades of emerald air formed and expelled themselves at their demonic foes, cutting through them like paper. Just as before, another wave of demons appeared as the last one was cut down. Sonya knocked several demons back with her blade, careful not to get caught within their reach. Tokisada followed closely behind Sai and Nymphia as he swung his banner at the relentless horde. Before Faldeo could catch up with them, he felt a shock go up his back, leaving him unable to move. A demon managed to hit him with an electrical attack. Tam Lin ran back to his side and protected him from the incoming onslaught while Nymphia worked on healing his paralysis. 

“Ow...” he groaned as Tam Lin helped him to his feet. “Wasn't expecting that. Thanks, Nym!”

“Don't worry about it. Glad to see that you're ok.”

“We're so close to our stop. Any ideas on how to end this quickly, you guys?”

Sonya turned to her teammates as she and Sai finished the remaining demons off. They only had a few more demons left to defeat. 

“Lin and I can take care of the next wave easily, but someone needs to get the last wave.” Faldeo suggested. “Can you do it, Sonya?”

“Uh...I don't think I'd be able to handle it on my own...at least for right now.” She held out her hands, showing the thick bandages wrapped around them from the wrists to the base of the fingers. She flinched as she tried to cast a small electric spell; sparks danced lightly on her fingertips before they faded away.

“Don't worry about it, then.” Nym placed a hand on her shoulder. “Sai and I can get the last wave, right?”

Sai nodded in response as Faldeo and Tam Lin swept the demons away. “Alright, Sai and Nym it's your turn!”

“Trumpeter and I got this. Let's hit 'em with Erosion Hex!” With that, Trumpeter flew over to the demons again, holding his trumpet to his mouth and letting a powerful attack upon the enemy force. Many of the demons fell, and the few that remained clutched themselves in pain, unable to move from where they stood.

Nymphia and Tokisada readied themselves. “Ok Toki, now!”

“Here we go, Black Sun!” He held his head high above his body. A barrage of dark energy shot out of the aperture from his neck; the energy from the attack perforated the demons around him. 

Sonya let out a sigh.

“That was close...”

A voiced chimed in from behind her.

“Hee-ho! You DB's did it! This is floor 60 of the elevator. Did you guys want to get off hee-re, or keep going down?”

“We'll stop here. Thank you, Black Frost. We'll take care of the demons on this floor now.” Nymphia cast a spell around the group. A wave of light made it's way through all of them, sealing up several fresh cuts and bruises on their skin and refreshing their demon partners. “Ready, everyone?”

“Yeah! Let's get 'em!” Faldeo shouted.

“Ready to go.” Sai clenched their fist.

“You think you're ready for this, Sonya?”

“Yeah...Yeah I think so!” She gripped the hilt of her sword as tightly as she could. 

“Awesome. Let's go, squad!”  
~*~*~*

The next chamber looked exactly like the one on the elevator, except that this one did not move. The gears stayed silently to the sides and some of the metal mechanisms were missing from the room. Sonya and her friends walked carefully into the room. Something wasn't right. Where were the demons?

“Guys...where are they?” Sonya drew her sword close.

“Yeah...this isn't good.” Sai whispered. “Everyone on your toes, ok?”

Faldeo and Tam Lin stayed back to back. “Are they trying to get the jump on us?”

_"Grrrrrroooaa....."_

“Welp...there's your answer, Deo.” 

An incorporeal weapon swung at the group, knocking them back against the wall of the chamber. The weapon slowly started taking shape; a white, almost cloudy hand appeared around the hilt, slowly but surely the rest of the body took form. The demon had taken form. It was the Entity, Albion.

_"Grrraaaooo....You will not escape from here, Devil Busters!"_

In an instant, a group of four smaller, multi-colored demons appeared around Albion. Each demon held a weapon similar to the one Albion carried.

“Damn.” Sonya cursed while Mothman hissed behind her. “Alright, how do we deal with the Zoas?”

“Faldeo and are are gonna take on Albion, you and Sai go take care of the Zoas. Keep them away from him.”

Nymphia, Faldeo and their demon partners ran toward Albion as it swung at them again. Sai and Trumpeter stood in front of the black and red Zoas.

“I'll take care of these guys. Think you can handle Luvah and Urthona on your own?” Sai raised an eyebrow at her.

“I'll see what I can do.”

Sonya and Mothman ran toward the remaining Zoas. A gust threatened to knock her against the wall, but she kept her feet to the ground, blocking the attack before she leaping at the green entity. Her blade cut into the demon's skin; it shrieked as it tried to move away from her, but each struggle only held it in place. Mothman inhaled deeply, gathering energy in his mouth before expelling a white-hot ball of fire right at the demon. A direct hit. Luvah stumbled back, smoke rising from its body. Sonya drove the sword into the entity again and again as Mothman threw another fire ball at the enemy.

Just before Sonya could deal the finishing blow, Mothman let out a yelp of pain. She turned around to see him struggling against Urthona. They had forgotten about the other Zoa during their fight, and it managed to sneak behind Mothman and hit him with an electric spell. Mothman was having trouble recovering from the shock. Urthona took advantage and continued to send blast after blast of electricity at the now helpless demon. Sonya tried running to her Mothman's aid, but a gust threw her off her feet and into the cold metal wall of the chamber, knocking the sword out of her hand in the process. She had let go of Luvah in her haste, allowing it to recover from from the earlier blast and attack her. She reached for her sword, but Luvah sent another wave of green wind at her body.

Sonya could hear one of her friends call out to her over the sounds of weapons and spells clashing against each other. They wouldn't be able to reach her soon enough while they were still fighting with the other demons, and Mothman wouldn't last much longer if he can't retaliate.

“Urrh...” Sonya wobbled onto her unsteady feet. Her hand gently covered an open wound on her waist. Luvah was still standing in front of her, readying another gust. She had to act quickly before her Mothman got seriously hurt. She crouched down as the demon attacked, rolling out of the way and closing the gap between them; she unwrapped one of the bandages on her hands and raised it into the air. Crackling sparks emitted from her palms, flowing down to her arm and eventually cascading down her body. 

“Ziodyne!”

She cast the electrical surge from her arm straight at Luvah, who was trying to move out of the way from the blast. The wave reached it, and it let out a scream of agony before the sparks engulfed the demon, leaving only a dark, purple haze in its wake. 

Sonya started running towards Mothman, but flinched from a pain coming from her palm. She lifted her arm only to see some small streams of blood flowing down from the previously bandaged areas of her hand. The wound had opened up. She wouldn't be able to cast another spell without serious damage to her hands. 

A noise brought her out of her thoughts. Urthona was reeling back in pain and Mothman had slowly made his way back to Sonya, dragging his injured wing. Trumpeter had come to help them out. The skeleton drew in another breath and shot another attack out form his trumpet. Slowly, Urthona's skin was eroding away. After a few seconds, the demon dissipated into a purple mist. 

Sonya looked over at her other teammates. They were already running to her; they had defeated their foes only moments ago when she had attacked Luvah. 

“Hey, are you ok?!” Sai stopped in front of her. “I sent Trumpeter over as fast as I could to help you out, but you didn't really have to cast a spell with your injured hand.”

“It's fine, don't worry about- OW!”

Sonya turned to Nymphia, who was already holding her arm out.

“Hey, hold still, I need to finish wrapping the bandages again. Wow, you really roughed it up pretty badly.”

“It's _fine_. Let me go.” She tried to pull her hand away, but Faldeo held it in place.

“Just let Nym close it up for you. It won't take long.”

“I know...but...can we leave this place now? The exit is right over there and this place isn't exactly the best place to do this.”

Nymphia sighed, patting Sonya's palm gently. “Well, I finished putting the bandage on, so don't worry about it. Anyway, let's head back to Babel so I can look at it closely again.”

~*~*~*

“MEEP!”

“Ow ow ow ow, ok geez, hold still!”

Everyone had gone to Nymphia's shop in Shinjuku Babel for a late night snack and to unwind from their mission. Nymphia, Sai, and Faldeo watched on as Sonya tried to bandage up Mothman's wing. Each slight tug at the bandage would result in a wing or foot to the face. Mothman would screech angrily at her, almost threatening to bite her hand. He wiggled and flailed in her grasp. Finally she let him go, cutting the end of the bandage off before Mothman hobbled over to the other side of the room. He let out a low hiss directed at her before shaking the fine hairs on his body and sitting down.

“That was enchanting to watch.”

“Oh, shut up, Deo. You'd have trouble too if you were in my place.” She walked over to the counter where they were seated and picked up her cup of coffee, punching Faldeo lightly on the shoulder.

“Nah. Lin is pretty good about letting me look at his cuts and bruises.” 

Tam Lin tilted his head at his summoner. “Really now? Last time you tried to cover up an open wound you put too much alcohol on it and it stung-”

Faldeo reached up and placed his hand over Tam Lin's mouth. “Alright. You don't have to tell everyone that...”

“...Then be more careful about how you treat wounds.” Tam Lin crossed his arms.

“Aww, that would have been interesting to hear about.” Sai took took a bite from a cookie. “Anyway, we should get going soon. We were supposed to go help some people from our clan out later, remember?”

“Yeah. Thanks for inviting us over, Nym. You sure we can have the rest of these cookies?”

“Sure! I can always make more anyway. Let's meet up again tomorrow; I think there's still some stuff we have to do around Shinjuku. Bye!”

Faldeo and Sai waved behind them before closing the door to Nymphia's shop. Tokisada stretched his arms out and let a yawn out.

“You tired, Toki?” 

“Yeah...I think I'm gonna get some rest now.” He removed his head and held it close to Nymphia's face. “Night, ma.”

“Night!” She kissed him on the forehead, patting him lightly on the head afterwards.

Tokisada placed his head back on his shoulders and walked into the backroom of the store.

“Heh, it's still cute to see how affectionate you are with him.” Sonya said, taking a sip from her coffee before continuing. “Moff doesn't let me get that affectionate sometimes. He either rubs his head into my face or kicks me away if I try to kiss his forehead.”

Mothman squeaked from the corner of the room.

Nymphia laughed. “Your other demons don't give you that much trouble, do they?”

“No. Mothman is really the only one picky about it. Kushinada and Gryphon love hugs, Uriel likes some friendly hi-fives, and Vritra can get pretty affectionate if he wants me to pet him. As for Lilith...uh well...she can get pretty frisky.”

“What do you mean by...”

“Let's not talk about that right now. It's kinda embarrassing.” She looked down at the floor.

“Ah. Gotcha.”

Sonya finished her coffee and picked her cup up along with Nymphia's. She walked over to the sink and placed them gently in the water. 

“Anyway, I think I'm gonna call it a night. Petite is probably back at the apartment and I don't want to stay out later and risk waking her up in the middle of the night.” She motioned over to Mothman, who stood up and hobbled over to her. Sonya raised her COMP and de-summoned Mothman. He wouldn't be able to walk back home on is own with his injured wing.

Nymphia smiled at her before turning her attention to the re-injured hand. “Will you be ok? You sure you don't need more bandages or something?”

Sonya sighed, “No _mom_ , I think I'll be fine like this. Besides, Petite already gets on my case about it, so it's fine.” She waved her hand slowly to show her. “See? It's all good.”

“Ok. See you tomorrow then! Try not to use spells for a while so that we don't have a repeat of today.”

“I'll be careful next time. Later!”

She walked out the front door, letting the door gently close behind her. It would be a relatively quiet walk back to her apartment. The streets outside still had some people walking around, though most of them were Devil Busters. Hardly any civilian stayed out for long unless they were going to a bar or an event. 

Each day as a Devil Buster was difficult. Missions such as the one Sonya and her friends go on were just as dangerous as they were numerous. Some DB's often went missing or end up dead on such missions. Still, it was a job that had to be done, no matter how dangerous it could get. It was a job that ensured the safety of the remaining human race and of the workforce of Innocents that kept each commune thriving.

This was all for the Rebirth of Tokyo.


	2. A small delivery

Sonya slung a large bag over her arm as she exited one of the larger buildings in Babel. She adjusted the strap slightly to alleviate some of the weight on her shoulder and began to walk. Mothman held another, larger sack in his mouth, fluttering after her as she walked down the streets of Babel. She had taken Nymphia's advice to stay out of trouble while her hands were still healing—If she kept opening the wound up, she wouldn't be able to properly fight anymore. Still, even if she wasn't useful in combat for the time being, she could at least help others outside of combat. 

She looked around her as she walked. There were guards stationed near the exits of Babel, as well as some Devil Busters patrolling the walkways, stopping only to talk to a few passersby who asked about the places outside of Babel or to the guards as they walked by the exits. She could see some Devil Busters gathering near the terminals, looking through the lists of jobs and arguing among themselves over which they should take. Often times, people who couldn't seek out the help of Devil Busters personally will post what they need help with on the terminals, where any Devil Buster can access them and take them on if they wanted to help, or if they felt the reward for the job was worth taking. It wasn't uncommon to see some DBs take the jobs only if they thought the task was challenging enough, too—though there have been times when they'd get in over their heads with them and end up seriously hurt.

Soon she reached a door near the front of the Devil Buster Central Control Room, letting several people walk past her before approaching an Innocent stationed near the door. 

"Ah. It's you again. It has been a while since we have last seen each other," the Innocent responded, "So, do you need to get past here?"

"Yes. I have an important delivery for someone."

The Innocent nodded and stepped aside. "By all means, you may pass."

Sonya smiled and went through the doorway.

The door led to a dimly lit hallway, eventually leading to a room with a terminal.

"Alright Moff, come up to the platform with me, I'm gonna get us there in a bit." 

Mothman chirped in response as she removed the bag and placed it around his neck while she inputted certain command onto the terminal's screen. Soon the terminal buzzed to life and several lights lit up all over the room. Sonya closed her eyes slightly—even after all these years she hated the sensation of teleportation. She could feel the air around her change and hear Mothman's light chirps as he shuffled closer to her. The room distorted around her, with the lights flickering slightly. The machine gave out a noise as the lights flashed brightly; and soon the terminal slowly quieted down and her surroundings stabilized again.

"Chrr...." Mothman shook his entire body, letting small bits of hair fall off. The contents inside both bags rattled. 

"Hey, careful with that! Apparently it's important and I don't want them to get damaged before we even get there." She removed the bag around his neck and pointed down the hallway. "Let's go."

~*~*  
Protopia was much quieter compared to Babel. A few Innocents stood guard on the corners of the streets while others of their kind walked by them. The only other humans here were other Devil Busters and the few human residents who lived in Protopia. Sonya walked down one of the narrow paths leading up to a familiar building. She knocked on the door and called out.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" 

She could hear someone shifting behind the door.

"Um...who is it? I-I'm at bit preoccupied- WOAH-"

"Hey?! Is everything alright? Can you at least open the door so I can help?"

The door slid open and an Innocent came nearly tumbling out—the boxes she was carrying in her arms were slipping. Sonya quickly placed the bag on the ground to help them before they could fall.

"Easy there...."

She removed one of the topmost boxes from the Innocent's arms and placed one of the smaller boxes on Mothman's head. He let out a small peep in protest. 

"Hah...good thing you showed up when you did, right?"

"Yeah, you could have been hurt. Anyway, it's been a while since we've seen each other, right Rekishiya?"

The Innocent looked up, a small look of shock spread across their face. They held one of Sonya's hands. "Indeed it has! I was worried, with what happened two weeks ago and all the craziness that happened days before then, that I wouldn't be able to see you for a while--or ever again."

“As if. I got out of there mostly in one piece!” She waved one of her hands in the air.

“I'm glad to hear it.” They tugged lightly at Sonya's arm and gestured to the opened doorway. "Anyway, let's continue this talk inside the shop."

Sonya and Mothman followed after Rekishiya into the building, mindful of their cargo as they walked. The inside of the building was messy, with papers thrown all over the floor. The walls contrasted the state the floor was in with their shelves and neatly placed books, all organized in particular ways and with the occasional statuette or metal plate dividing them. Rekishiya led them up to a small flight of stairs and into a room with a neatly cleaned table. They placed their boxes onto one side of the table.

"I'm actually surprised. Out of all the DBs that could have taken this job, you happened to be the one to take it up. If I would have known, I could have asked for someone else to help me out instead. You injured your hands and I didn't want you to get hurt-"

"Hey, it's just a delivery—not like I'm gonna seriously injure myself while delivering some stuff." Sonya placed the bags next to the boxes. She stretched her fingers gently, wincing slightly as the skin at the base of her fingers stretched away from the bandaged wounds. "Either way, I can't let a pair of hands keep me from helping a friend. By the way, what exactly is in these bags?"

"Oh these? Well..." Rekishiya removed a wooden box out of the bag and placed it on the table; they opened the box and removed what looked like thin books bound in a light paper sleeve. "They're copies of old documents related to the events that occurred way back in the 1990's, as well as some old records about the Messian Church several years ago. After what happened at Camp Ichigaya, I was asked by Madam to investigate these documents and see if there really was some truth to what that woman at Ichigaya said about the Church. Of course I can't get the original copies of these documents—the Commune kept these documents under heavy lock-and-key for some reason, but Madam was able to convince Secretary Yamamoto to let us see a few copies of them."

"I wonder what reason the Commune could have to hide something like this?"

"I don't know. I guess they were trying to prevent another war between the Ring of Gaea and the Messians. Tensions between them have been somewhat moderate for a while, but after what happened, I feel like things are about to get heated."

Sonya flipped through one of the documents. "Hm..."

"Is something wrong?"

"Well," she placed the file back on the table, "I was just thinking. If the Commune already knew the truth about what Ogami was saying back at Camp Ichigaya, I wonder why they didn't let anyone else know. Maybe we could have prevented this mess..."  
Mothman let out a soft chirp as he moved closer to Sonya, and she reached out to pet the top of his head.

Rekishiya walked over to her and placed their arm on her shoulder. "I know. It does seem like something they shouldn't have been kept away from the public, or at least from the Devil Busters. Still, this is why you're here, too—so that you and your comrades can help prevent things like this from happening again, right?”

She smiled back at them. “Yeah. You're right. I'm not gonna get hung up on this!”

Sonya stretched her arms, surprising Mothman. "Anyway, I can't stay very long to talk. I have a few errands to run since I'm not taking any missions into dungeons for today.” She made her way toward the door and picked up her bag. “Nym already scolded me a few days ago about hurting myself again when we went to Shinjuku together with some friends."

"Hah, well you know she cares very deeply about you ever since you became her student a while back. She was basically the one who taught you how to be a Devil Buster after what happened to—"

Rekishiya stopped talking immediately. They looked over to Sonya, who was gripping the side of the door slightly. The room grew silent.

"Oh..aah, wait! I'm sorry for bringing that up. I forgot that you don't really want to...."

She sighed. "Don't worry about it, I know you didn't want to upset me. I think I just really need to learn to let go. If she were still around I think she would have scolded me harder than Nym ever would for letting it bother me." She shrugged. "I wish she was still around though."

"Well, either way I apologize. Remember this though: you are free to come talk to me about her again if you need to. I'm sure Miss Nymphia and your roommate wouldn't mind if you talked to them about it, too." They smiled at Sonya.

"Thank you. Hopefully we can see each other again soon. " She returned their smile. "Later!"  
*~*~*  
"Hey, you're back!"

Sonya greeted her roommate from across the room. She closed the door behind her and placed her bag on a wall rack. Petite looked up from the counter, placing a large plate of rice down before waving back to her.

"Hey! I was wondering where you were. I came home several hours ago but you weren't here. I was afraid I'd have to go hunt you down before you decide to go off on your own somewhere."

"You don't think I'd be able to handle things on my own?"

"Ha, no of course not." Petite giggled. "I was just worried since your hands aren't in great shape right now."

“You're not the first one to say that today.”

Petite picked the bowl back up and walked to the table in the adjacent room. She pulled the two chairs out from the table and motioned to Sonya. "I have some dinner ready."

"Nice!"

Sonya hurried to sit down, removing her sword from her belt and placing it near the side of the table. She grabbed an empty bowl and started scooping as much food as she can into it. She didn't realize how hungry she was until she got home—she didn't even stop for lunch while she was out. 

"You forgot to eat again, didn't you?"

"Hey, I was busy and I had things to deliver. Lunch didn't exactly cross my mind. Damn, I'm kinda regretting that now."

Petite shook her head. "And yet you wonder why Nym and my sister worry for you sometimes."

Sonya shrugged as she stuffed some more food into her mouth.

"Shpeaking of which--" She swallowed her food before continuing, "What were you and Versa doing, anyway? You've been gone for most of the week. Have you and Versa really been just in Shinagawa this entire time?"

Petite placed a hand to her head, rubbing the side of her temple with her fingers. "It's been kind of weird in Arcadia since the incident at Camp Ichigaya. It feels like a lot of the officials in Arcadia have been wary of outsiders coming into the city. The Temple Knights seemed especially on-edge, like if they're expecting something to happen. Versailles reassured me that their patrols haven't changed at all, but it certainly feels like the place is more on-guard than usual. Anyway, she just asked me to accompany her on some patrols around Shinagawa. Nothing too serious."

Sonya raised an eyebrow. "Was that all?"

"...No...not really," Petite sighed, moving her food around on the plate, "I think she's still kind of mad about the whole Ichigaya thing. With what happened and Valois being there too, I guess I shouldn't be surprised." She let her head drop on the table. 

Sonya placed her hand over Petite's hand, patting it lightly. "Hey, sorry for bringing it up. Man, it feels like the whole Ichigaya thing has everyone stressed out even after it's all over."

She tugged her roommate's hand. "Let's play some video games! I think we could both use a nice distraction."

Petite smiled. "Yeah. I'd really like that. Though what do you need a distraction from? I thought you were just making some deliveries—did something else happen?"

"Uh, not really. Just brought up some old memories, that's all."

"Ah, gotcha." Petite stood up. "Mario Party?"

"Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to make another chapter to this fic. Somehow at least. Either way, to whoever happens to be reading this, thank you for reading.  
> I hope I can make more exciting chapters later.


	3. DB Log 1: Weakness

**-One year ago-**

>Incoming message from CCR  
>2 hours have passed since regular communication with Home II was abruptly cut off.  
>The Central Control Room has decided to raise the Security Alert Level to A.  
>You are to postpone your current operation and begin investigating Home II at once.  
>Message Sent to DB Kuroe. Current Location: Shinagawa.

~*~*~  
_-wham!-_

Another strike. Long slash marks covered the wooden post, each a different length and depth.

“You're doing well! Don't worry too much about how strong the impact is, just focus on getting your form right!”

“Thank you, ma'am!”

“Don't try to cross your feet over each oth—huh?” An alert sounded from the woman's COMP.

Early mornings in Shinagawa were quiet compared to the usual din near the entrance of Arcadia. Not many of the Temple Knights ever strayed far from theirs posts all over the field. Even the Angels and Yoma demons that regularly patrolled the areas kept to themselves. It's what made mornings in Shinagawa a prime location to train aspiring Devil Busters. Still, even days like this had their interruptions.

“I have a message from Command. Keep up your training while I see what's up.”

“Alright, ma'am.”

“...You know, you don't have to be so formal to me. I've been training you for about a year already, so saying _'Alright, Kuroe'_ is fine, too.”

“Heh, sorry about that, Kuroe.” Sonya rubbed her right arm, still holding the short sword in her hand. “I'm just not sure if I'm doing this correctly.” 

“You're doing fine.” Kuroe smiled back, her eyes half lidded in amusement. Or at least they probably were if her visor didn't obscure them. She raised her fingers to a transmitter attached to visor, reading the alert message. A gentle wind blew past the training grounds, moving her hair and navy skirt so slightly. Kuroe always seemed to look so elegant even while on-duty, only ever having small amounts of dirt on her boots and the cuffs of her sleeves. Calm and collected no matter what was going on.

Sonya shook her head and turned away quickly. She had to keep focusing on training. 

“...Somethings happening at Home II.”

“Huh?”

“Grab your things and follow me.”

“But what about the posts and stuff?”

“I'll explain along the way. We'll be back for them later.”

“Um...ok, Kuroe.”

They marched on toward a canyon on the other side of Shinagawa, near the Ice Caves. Kuroe held her hand up to her transmitter, speaking into a mic on her visor. Sonya couldn't hear what she was saying; she was too focused on their trip and thinking about what was going on. Usually Command never bothered her mentor with missions if they knew she was busy with a trainee. This must have been serious.

“Command had lost communication with Home II.” 

Sonya turned to Kuroe. She hadn't noticed when Kuroe removed her rifle from its strap and readied the bayonet at the end. 

“I asked the Devil Busters in the area to report their positions to me, but it looks like we're the closest.”

They soon approached the mouth of the canyon. A dirt path led further down past a gulch leading toward an opening carved into the cliff-side. Metal posts lined the entrance of the opening with a few lights fading in and out from various points. 

“We'll have to postpone your training and begin investigating Home II at once.”

~*~*

“I assumed we'd be greeted by guards, but we haven't seen anybody at all...”

Usually some guards would have checked them in and allowed them passage into the underground districts by now, but not a single person had called out to them. It was too quiet. Kuroe's Cerberus sniffed the air as they spoke, grunting slightly before shaking his head. Small bits of hair drifted off of his mane.

“Well then, Sonya.”

She tensed up slightly and approached Kuroe. “Yes, ma'am?”

“I told you 'Kuroe' is fine, but never mind that. What do you think we should do first.”

Sonya thought for a moment. “We should check our surroundings. See if anything is out of the ordinary.”

“Aha.” Kuroe grinned. “You're starting to look like a real Devil Buster. You look tense, but your composure is calm.”

“Hah, thank you Kuroe.” She couldn't help but smile at her compliment. It felt good to receive such praise from Kuroe. It made her feel like she really could become a great Devil Buster like her one day.

“But you're right. We need to confirm the situation here. Communication was lost around 2 hours ago, so we need to make sure that the citizens are safe. That's our priority for this mission. I'd like you to go investigate the elevator and see if we can make our way directly to the residential district. Cerberus and I will investigate the Home Point.”

“Yes, ma'am!”

Sonya walked toward the end of the room, her sword still in her hand as she made her way to the elevators. She stopped before she even got to the end of the room. 

“Hey...Kuroe?”

“What is it?” She replied as she stood up from the base of the Home Point.

“You might want to come see this...”

Kuroe and Cerberus jogged up behind Sonya. She turned to face them as she gave her report.

“The elevator's been completely destroyed...” She pointed behind her. Sure enough, the entire platform had been razed. Electrical wire jutted out everywhere, sparking every few seconds. Concrete and metal littered the rails leading further down into the complex. The tunnel had collapsed, effectively blocking a direct path to the residential district.

“This...does not look good.” Sonya gripped the hilt of the sword. “What do we do?”

“Don't worry. We'll have to go another way around. There should be a stairway nearby leading to the industrial district of Home II. We'll take a detour through there to get to our destination. Let's go.”

~*~*

“I found someone. Get over here!”

“Roger!” Sonya clicked off the receiver on her COMP.

She had trailed behind Kuroe on their way to the industrial district, sending pictures and reports back to the Central Control Room while Kuroe went ahead to scope out the path. She entered the room Kuroe had sent the transmission from. All over the room were signs of a battle; claw marks scarred the walls around her, with several scorch marks coating the floors and doors. Unsettling streaks of blood covered parts of the floor, some leading behind closed doors while others end suddenly. 

“What happened?!” 

“I'm not sure.” Kuroe gestured to a uniformed man leaning against the wall. “I found this industrial guard like this. I finished giving him first aid, but he's still in shock. Some kind of battle took place here from the looks of it. He keeps mumbling something about wanting to protect 'them,' but I can't get much more from him at the moment.”

“What should I do?”

“Cerberus and I will stay here and protect this man until he is able to explain what happened here. You go on ahead and see if you can find any guards or civilians.”

“By myself?” Sonya bit her lower lip.

“I'm afraid so. You may just be a trainee, but even so you still have a responsibility as a Devil Buster to protect the people here. Don't worry, just leave your transmitter on and I'll give you instructions from the COMP.”

“Alright. I'll go then.” Just before Sonya could leave, Cerberus lifted his head and spoke.

“This man looks like he was attacked with a katana,” he growled, “I have a bad feeling about this. Stay on guard.”

She nodded to him and headed deeper into the complex.

~*~*

Just has Kuroe had feared: There were demons in Home II. Several Slimes ambled around the room, pausing to look at Sonya as she drew her sword. 

“What do I do?!”

“Don't panic.” A voice called out from the COMP. “These are just small-fry compared to whatever attacked this guard. You can handle it, just remember your training and you'll be fine. If things really do get bad for you--” She paused, breathing in slightly, “you're allowed to use that magic of yours to defend yourself. I know it might go against protocol, since I can't exactly train you on magic usage, but I'd say situations like this call for some rule-breaking. Just don't over do it.”

“Roger. I'll do my best.”

With that, she rushed towards the enemy Slimes. They made no real effort to move out of the way, caught off-guard by her sudden attack. Each strike from her sword cut through the Slimes like jelly, and one by one they fell. What remained of them splattered over the floors, her clothes, and her glasses. Easy.

She continued down the corridor and into another room. More Slimes wriggled their way around the room, along with a few Will-O-wisps. This time, the Slimes started charging for her. She jumped to the side to avoid their hits and brought her blade down. They withered away just like the ones in the room before. The Will-O-wisps began moving into a defensive position, moving slowly around her. She gripped both hands around the hilt of her sword and lunged at the demons. The force from the attack broke through their defense, dazing them slightly. It was just as Kuroe said would happen. She wasted no time finishing them off.

Each hallway and room she passed had a small number of demons, and each time she had dispatched them relatively quickly. Still, it was unsettling to think of even small demons like these being in Home II. There was no way they were the ones who caused the massive damage at the service entrance. They probably followed behind whatever attacked first.

She reached another hallway. It forked in two directions: one leading to a small passageway, and another leading in front of a large security door. This must be the entrance to the residential district Kuroe told her about. She approached the door, pressing on the opening mechanism. The door didn't even budge. 

Sonya lifted her COMP and spoke into the receiver. “Kuroe, I found the entrance, but the door's locked down. I can't get through.”

“Roger that. If I remember correctly, the control room nearby has a way to unlock the door. Go see what you can do about that. The guard just came to—I'll ask him about what happened and meet up with you there. Over and out.”

She ran over to the control room. No demons in sight. 

Sonya found the door to the room was unlocked. “That's strange. A control room shouldn't be left like this...”

The contents inside the room showed what had happened. More bloody streaks marked the floor, and many of the control panels had been attacked or covered in blood. She could see someone laying on the ground next to a lever, their arm stretched out in front of them.

“H-hey! Are you hurt? I'm here to investigate.” Sonya called out. The body remained silent.

She approached slowly, reaching her hand out to the person. Still no response.

She lifted their arm up and pressed a finger to their wrists. All she could feel was cold, stiff skin.

“Oh no...” 

She looked back up at the lever, noticing some bloody fingerprints dotting the handle. This must be what this person was trying to reach for. Sonya stood up and reached for the lever. It moved effortlessly, making a “click” sound before she could hear something moving outside of the room. The security door must have unlocked. As she made her way to the exit, she heard something scuttling above her. 

A group of Gakis had been laying in wait. They jumped down from the ceiling and took a swing at her.

Sonya blocked the assault with her weapon. “Tch. Dammit!” She fell against the door as they began to circle around her. They were readying another strike while she was boxed in. She stood up and readied her sword. Kuroe had warned her about this kind of situation, and there was a way out of it. Sonya lowered her body, holding the sword with both arms and waited for them to strike. The Gaki made another dash for her. Just what she was hoping for. She swung her sword wide, slicing through most of the Gaki at once. The remaining Gaki fell back, trying to limp away from her. She readied her blade again and sliced through them before they could regroup.

“That was a close one. I guess they weren't all just small-fry...”

Sonya ran out of the room.

~*~*

Kuroe was already waiting for her at the now opened security door. Cerberus sniffed at Sonya, grunting a little. 

“Good work. You fought well.” The demon turned to Kuroe. “Wouldn't you agree?”

“Of course. You've done well to make it this far on your own.”

“Thank you.” Sonya brought out two bottles of water and handed one to Kuroe. Fighting took a lot out of her even if the enemies were weak. She tossed one to Kuroe.

Sonya drank the water and started sending in more reports to the Central Control Room. Apparently some more Devil Busters were heading to Home II, but it would be a while before they arrived.

“So, Kuroe,” she began, “did that guard tell you what's going on?”

Kuroe stopped drinking her water, placing it down on the ground. “He did, and you're not gonna like it...” She cleared her throat.

“According to the guard, demons had come into Home II through the service entrance. The guards rushed down to rescue the people trapped in the residential district,” she paused, shaking her head, “but they were not match for the demons and had no choice but to retreat back here, though several demons followed them. I fear the worst for the civilians.”

Sonya drooped her head. It might already be too late. “I see...”

A thick silence filled the room, even Cerberus grew silent.

“Tell me.” Kuroe spoke first. “Given the hopelessness of the situation, would you still continue on this mission?”

Sonya looked at her. She may not be able to see her eyes, but she could tell they were filled with worry. For her student and for the endangered people of Home II.

“I...I don't know.” Sonya bit her lip again. “I really want to help, but I don't know if I can do something like this. Not on my own at least...”

“...I see.” Kuroe sighed. “A long time ago, I knew a DB. They were one of the most skilled Devil Busters Tokyo had to offer. Unmatched in skill. If only they were alive now...” She looked up to the ceiling. “They died on a mission to rescue a little girl. They gave their life to save her...”

“I'm sorry to hear that...”

Kuroe placed her arm on her shoulder. Sonya could feel a piercing gaze behind the visor. “Listen up. Even if you're able to save someone, it's pointless if it ends up killing you. Someone will still mourn you. Don't forget that.”

Sonya knew what she was trying to say. Kuroe didn't want her to die here. Someone like her, who had served as a Devil Buster for many years, probably had her fair share of losses. Even if this was common for their line of work, it was never something easy to deal with.

“I understand.” She nodded.

“Good.” Kuroe removed her hand. “I'll go on ahead and take care of the demons, you make sure to keep the civilians safe. If you're facing a threat, protect yourself first. Alright?”

“Yes.”

“That's great to hear.” Kuroe turned away and made her way through the door. “I'm off! Good luck!”

“Good luck to you too, Kuroe.”

~*~*

Deeper into Home II looked much worse. Even after Kuroe and Cerberus had gone up ahead, several demons remained. She must have been in a hurry to get to the residential district. Sonya had to clear a path if they were to evacuate the civilians. The demons had to be dealt with now before they could hurt anyone else. 

Some Ghouls ran to her as she charged, trying to grab her arm as she swung her sword around. She could feel the blade cutting down their faces with each swing. Just as she pulled her arm away, she felt something grab her. A Ghoul had snuck up on her and bit down on her arm, clawing at the sword. 

“ _Argh!_ ” She tried getting away from the Ghoul. More were making their way to them already. She finally pulled away from the demon before running the sword through it's chest. It took one more swing at her, striking at her shoulder before going limp. Some blood pooled up from the wound. She kicked the body away and took a defensive stance, putting her back to the wall and trying to stand steadily on her feet. 

They knew she was injured.

“Damn...” She wiped away some sweat from her cheek, staining her glasses with blood in the process. She can't rescue anyone like this. Something had to be done now before the Ghouls attacked. As she pulled her hand away from her face, she remembered what Kuroe had said earlier. She was allowed to use her magic if she had to. 

Sonya took a breath as she moved forward again. It had been a while since she last tried to use magic. She wasn't even able hit a dummy without losing control of her spells, but she had to try.

The Ghouls were so close. It was now or never. She lifted her right hand up, concentrating on her palm. She started feeling some heat coming up from them; the air distorted around her hand and a few embers formed. She drew her arm back and readied herself.

“Agi!”

The Ghouls had almost reached her before a gout of flame exploded from her palm. Their bodies caught on fire, their skin crackling under the heat. She could feel a sharp pain from her palm as the fire left her hand. She swung the sword again to finish them off. 

Sonya slumped against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She looked back down at her palm: the skin had charred badly in some places, but at least her hand was still in one piece. Around her, the burning remains of the Ghouls lay still. Suddenly, she could hear something from her COMP—A message was coming through.

“This is DB Kuroe.”

“Kuroe...” Sonya gasped, trying to calm herself. “The demons here are giving me a bit more trouble than I thought. I have several injuries and burns. What's happening on your end? Did you find the civilians?”

“...”

The communication suddenly cut off.

Sonya stood up straight and tried to speak to Kuroe.

“This is DB Trainee Sonya. DB Kuroe do you read me?”

No response. She tried again. “This is DB Trainee Sonya. Can you hear me, Kuroe?”

Something was wrong. Kuroe wasn't responding to her. Meanwhile, Sonya could hear something from the hallways leading to the industrial district. The sounds of footsteps were getting closer—along with the sounds of growling and chittering. More demons were approaching.

“Dammit! Kuroe! Please respond! There are demons heading my way. I can't clear a path at this rate. Where are you?!” 

She lifted her injured arm up to her side and starting running towards where Kuroe had gone off. Without any back up, they were going to be overwhelmed.

She made her way through a doorway and down some stairs. Gunshots were going off and she could hear Cerberus' roaring. Each step she took brought her closer to the source of the sounds, until she reached a metal door. The gunshots were in the next room.

Sonya stepped through the door. 

~*~*

The remains of various demons lay littered on the floor; bullet marks and torn flesh scoring their bodies. Just up ahead, Cerberus was dispatching a few more Ghouls, tearing their arms and necks with his sharp claws and long teeth. 

Kuroe was standing face to face with a tall demon with multiple arms and swords. She remembered seeing someone call this demon a Taraka. Kuroe lifted her rifle up toward the demon and fired, but the bullets bounced harmlessly off of it. Cerberus ran toward Taraka, barring his fangs and readying an attack. Before he could connect, the Taraka lifted one of her arms up and struck out at him. The direct hit sent Cerberus flying until his body hit the floor hard. He tried to lift himself up before collapsing.

“Tch!”

Kuroe tried attacking again, firing at Taraka while she had been distracted, but nothing was getting through her. Suddenly, the demon turned around. 

Sonya had accidentally caught the demon's attention when she stepped into the room. She was frozen in place at the sight of the demon. Without warning, the Taraka ran straight toward her. She tried running back out the door, but she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground. All she could do was lift her sword up in defense as the Taraka lifted her swords and struck down.

_-CLANG!-_

Sonya opened her eyes. Somehow she was still alive. Something was in front of her. She looked up slowly. On the floor a few feet away, she could see a visor lying on the ground, with a large gash cutting into the device. Her gazed turned to the figure before her. Kuroe stood motionless between her and the Taraka.

“W-what...”

Before she could call out, Kuroe dropped her rifle from her arms and collapsed, blood dripping down her face.

“NO!” Sonya reached for her, but the Taraka had now stepped between the two. A sadistic smile crossed the demon's face.

“Plea..se...r..r-run..” Kuroe spoke up before falling silent. 

“Kuroe! I can't run. I-I can't...please! I-”

Everything went dark.

~*~*~

>Status from DB's arriving at Home II.  
>Communication with a pair of DB's was lost moments ago as we passed through the service entrance.  
>Demons are everywhere.  
>A lone guard was found injured but alive.  
>Going deeper into Home II.  
>Demons are still coming. No sign of Civilians or the DB's.  
>Now entering the Residential District.  
>Bloody Scene. Some demons retreating but others now readying an attack. Found two survivors.  
>A DB trainee and friendly demon recovered safely.  
>...  
>DB Kuroe MIA  
>...  
>...  
>DB Kuroe ~~MIA~~ KIA  
>...  
>Home II is lost to demons.  
>Taking survivors to Home III.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made another chapter shortly after finishing the previous one, so I'll post it up, too. 
> 
> This chapter is directly based off of events in IMAGINE, and I'm thinking of making a few more like it. Only thing is that it's gonna be kind of difficult to do, since I've never played IMAGINE back when it had an English translation. I'm just mostly relying on old footage from back then to help me.  
> Hopefully I got some things right.  
> And hopefully someone can help me with stuff beyond IMAGINE's Act 16...
> 
> Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first chapter of a series of IMAGINE related adventures. I have a feeling most of them won't stick strictly to any particular events in-game, save for some chapters that are going to be based on the Main Episode acts or any other particular events. I hope you guys like it. It might have more cameos from other friends and OCs. Let me know if you guys liked it, and if there's anything that can help me out with writing in the future.


End file.
